• Anya Major, a former track star, played the hammer thrower. British character actor David Graham played the Big Brother figure.

• The estate of George Orwell, author of "1984," sent a cease-and-desist

letter to Apple and Chiat/Day.

• Market research predicted the ad would be a huge flop. Fred Goldberg, who worked on the account for Chiat/Day, decided not to mention that to his bosses.

Shows following Super Bowl can get sudden life

One thing is certain about whatever show gets the spot following the Super Bowl: A lot of people are going to see it.

Even last year, when the power failure at the New Orleans Superdome pushed its start to 11:11 p.m. on the East Coast, “Elementary” booked more than 20 million viewers. The year before, “The Voice” rang up more than 37 million.

So we can be almost certain that Fox comedies “New Girl” and “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” will record their biggest audiences ever Sunday night. How many of those viewers will look for the shows in their regular Tuesday time slots is less certain.

“The Voice” rocketed to the top 10 after its Super Bowl boost and dethroned “American Idol” as America's favorite singing competition. “Undercover Boss” became a smash after it debuted in the spot in 2010.

Executives at Fox remain hopeful that its comedies can benefit from the placement. Their ratings have been a bit lackluster, although both do well with DVR and streaming audiences. Last Tuesday, “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” drew 4.6 million viewers; “New Girl,” 3.8 million.

“They needed the boost,” Fox programming head Kevin Reilly said of the selections. “They felt like the ones that could benefit from the additional sampling.”

The stakes could be particularly high for “Brooklyn Nine-Nine,” a comedy set in a police precinct that stars “Saturday Night Live” alumnus Andy Samberg. Samberg and the series were surprise winners at the Golden Globe awards Jan. 12, no doubt piquing interest among some potential viewers.

Some say the star of Super Bowl XVIII was Los Angeles Raiders running back Marcus Allen; others would insist it was an obscure British actress named Anya Major.

It was Major, dressed in orange shorts and a white track shirt and bearing a sledgehammer, who starred in Apple Computer's spooky science-fiction-movie of a commercial that introduced the Macintosh.

Thirty years later, die-hard Raiders fans probably are the only ones who remember much about the blowout game, but nearly everyone who saw it recalls Apple's “1984” ad, even though it never ran again.

That a 60-second piece of advertising remains in the public consciousness on its 30th anniversary reminds us that the Super Bowl is not just about football. It's television's biggest stage, which makes it the place where advertisers bring out their best.

Back in the 1970s and '80s, when the Super Bowl scores often were lopsided, the common joke was “the commercials are better than the game.” The contests have grown more competitive, but the Super Bowl of advertising retains its grip on the viewers, too.

CBS runs a special every year called “The Super Bowl's Greatest Commercials” – no matter which network is hosting the game. (This year, it's Fox.) The 2014 edition will air at 8 p.m. Wednesday, hosted by former NFL quarterback Boomer Esiason and former NFL cheerleader-turned-actress Sarah Shahi.

Past ads live on YouTube and other websites, where they remain surprisingly popular. One unauthorized posting of the “1984” ad has been up less than two years yet has been played more than 1 million times.

All of this attention has brought today's Super Bowl ads something that was not available to Apple back in 1984: coming attractions.

Nearly every ad that will air during the Super Bowl on Sunday comes with its own promotional campaign. M&Ms is pitching how Yellow will be its star of the game. Audi is giving hints about the comic dog breed it will introduce: the “Doberhuahua.” Bud Light is running teaser commercials for its game commercials, which will feature former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.

And every advertiser is trying to enlist the public in its campaign, from letting viewers vote on ad choices to pushing hashtags related to their ads.

For advertisers, there is plenty at stake. They are paying an average of $4 million for 30 seconds during the game. And the ads will be seen by the biggest TV audience of the year, by far. Last year, more than 108 million Americans watched, down a tick from the 111.3 million in 2012. The last four Super Bowls are the four most-watched programs in U.S. history.

Here are some of the competitors we can expect to see this year in the “other game”:

• Comedy Central star Stephen Colbert will pitch pistachios.

• Comedian and former NFL player Terry Crews, who stars in “Brooklyn Nine-Nine,” will team up with the Muppets to market the Toyota Highlander.

Chobani Greek Yogurt will air its inaugural Super Bowl ad during the third quarter of Sunday's game between the Denver Broncos and Seattle Seahawks. CHOBANI, MCT
This Best Buy ad with Amy Poehler will be included in the CBS special "The Super Bowl's Greatest Commercials." CBS
Budweiser's "super fan" commercial from the 2006 game. CBS
Career Builder's Super Bowl ad from 2006. CBS
Doritos held a princess party for it's 2013 Super Bowl appearance. CBS
Victoria's Secret's 2008 Super Bowl ad will be included in "The Super Bowl's Greatest Commercials." CBS
Golden Globe-winning "Brooklyn Nine-Nine," starring Joe Lo Truglio, left, and Andy Samberg, should get a big ratings boost from the Super Bowl. EDDY CHEN/FOX

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